Fluid seal with welded housing



1939- w. A. HEINZE 2,166,293

FLUID SEAL WITH WELDED HOUSING Filed July 29, 1936 F a. J 1 10 2 WILL/AM A. Hf/NZE lNl/[N TOR A T Torr/v: Y

Patented July 18, i939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE r'wm SEAL wrrn wsmsn HOUSING William A. Heinze, Ghicago, m, assignor to Victor Manufacturing & Gasket Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application July 29, 1936, Serial No. 93,198

1 Claim.

. 5 or packing element of synthetic rubber or the like held in position about a shaft and in a surrounding housing by means of a supporting metal shell formed with two or more pieces welded or otherwise permanently fastened together.

One of the important objects of this invention is to provide, in a grease retainer or fluid seal,

a permanent unitary structure .which is constructed so as to be applied as a unit and which will not be subject to undesirable deformation or distortion during the process of application and which, therefore, will accordingly furnish a satisfactory seal under all conditionsi Another object of the invention is the provision of a fluidseal especially adapted for automotive 2 use or the like, which can be employed with various types of diaphragms, particularly those known as synthetic, molded rubber or vulcanized diaphragms or packings, and which, on account of the peculiar nature of their composition and structure, can be made into various shapes to meet "different requirements and adaptations, and which, therefore, are better suited to certain definite types of retaining shells or housings which heretofore have been considered impractlcal or even impossible.

. Other and further important objects of the invention will be apparent from the disclosures in the accompanying drawing and following speciilcation.

The invention, in a preferred form,is illustrated in the drawing and hereinafter more fully described. 4

In the drawing:

, Figure 1 is a sectional view of an improved fluid 40 seal showing the welded housing or retaining shell of this invention applied thereto. 1 Figure 2 is a sectional view showing a slight ure 1. 40 Asshown in the drawing:

The reference numeral l2 indicates generally one'of the improved diaphragms of this invention, the same comprising generally and preferably an annular element composed of'synthetic rubber and other materials such as fabric or the like vulcanized in a mold to the shapev shown or into other shapes which might be more preferable or better suited to particular purposes. 7

In the embodiment shown in Figures 1 and 2,

. the diaphragm I! has a cylindrical portion adapted to closely surround a shaft l4, and ertending upwardly from this cylindrical portion is a stem portion which terminates in a'rearwardly extending annular flange or the like as shown, which flange is for the purpose of produc- 5 ing a gripped relationship between itself and corresponding portions of the shell.

In both Figures 1 and 2, this supporting shell comprises a cup-shaped element It of sheet meta1 or the like, having a central opening adapted to surround the shaft It and with an inturned ledge ll adjacent this central opening, the ledge forming, as shown, an acute angle with the adjacent portion of the cup or shell l6, thereby adapting the same for a better gripping contact with the corresponding flared portion of the diaphragm or packing element l2.

Inasmuch as the diaphragm is composed of resilient material, it can be readily sprung or snapped into position over the inturned edge It, 20 and this, in itself, will ordinarily form a suitable bond between the two elements, which, however, for safety purposes, is supplemented by additional fastening means.

In Figure 1, this additional fastening means 2 comprises an annular cup-shaped element 20 U-shaped in cross-section which is fitted inside the shell I6 and is of such dimensions as to closely contact the outer periphery of the related portion oi the diaphragm l2 clamping the same be- 30 I also annular in shape and L-shaped in 'crossmodification of the invention illustrated in Fig- 7 section and of such a size as to be capable of a sliding 6r pressed fit intothe inner annular face of the U-shaped element 20. The dimensions of 5 one leg of the L are such that when fitted into position, the inner edge will closely contact the corresponding face of the diaphragm l2, thereby maintaining a gripping contact on at least three sides or faces of the diaphragm.

The L-shaped ring 24 is permanently secured in the U-shaped ring or shell 20 by means of welding or brazing which usually consists in melting a, ring of some more fusible metal into -the joint between these two steel elements 20 I6 and 24 as best shown at 2! in Figure 1. This method of welding or brazing is common in the trade and usually employs a thin copper wire or strip, making a very strongand substantial joint between the steel parts.

' In Figure 2, is shown a very similar construction, the elements li-il-II being the same and the element 30 serving the same purpose as the element 20 of Figure 1 with the exception that it is a slightly different shape and has inturned ends seated against the corresponding face of the shell It. The U-shaped ring 80 is not offset to receive the inturned bend 2! but is offset to receive an L-shaped ring 34 corresponding to the ring 24 of Figure 1 which is welded in position in the same manner as shown at 36. It will be noted that there is no seating of the element 34 against the packing i2, there being more space left for the insertion of a garter spring or the like if the same is considered necessary, and it will further be noted that there is possibly a better reinforcement of the outer shell it on account of the inturned edges of the inner shell 30.

It will be evident that herein is provided a fluid seal which, on account of its welded type of housing and the composition diaphragm employed therewith, provides a substantial unitary structure which is so built as to effectively resist tendency to become damaged during installation, which has heretofore been one of the chief troubles encountered with oil seals or grease retainers of this type. Although made to quite exact dimensions, it has often been found that the housings for which they are intended am aware that many changes may be made and throughout a wide range without departing from the principles of this invention, and}, therefore, do not purpose limiting the patent granted hereon otherwise than as necessitated by the prior art.

I claim as my invention:

A fluid seal, comprising a flexible packing element L-shaped in cross section and being molded of synthetic rubber, and a metallic supporting housing. therefor, said housing including an outer annular shell L-shaped in crosssection and a U-shaped shell inversely fitted in the outer shell with one leg of the U contacting the packing, and with one edge of the outer shell spun in about the corresponding portion of the U-shaped shell to retain the samein position, one edge of the outer shell being bent inwardly to contact a corresponding portion of the packing, and an inner smaller shell L-shaped in cross-section slidably fitted into the U-shaped shell with its inner edge abutting the packing and maintained in. position by welding.

WILLIAM A. HEINZE.

numerous details of construction varied 

